1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to safety/security latches for doors. More particularly, this invention relates to add-on latches for the outwardly hinged doors of most schools and numerous other industrial applications. The invention enables easy installation to a door interior without having to interfere with or modify the adjacent floor and/or frame to that door. One preferred manufacturing and marketing plan might make and sell these devices under the proposed product name: AUX LOC™.
2. Background Art
After the most recent school shooting disaster at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, many concepts were floated for trying to render individual school classrooms safe from an intruder. The goals were to provide supervising staff (i.e, teachers in the respective classrooms) with means for barricading them and their students in the safety of a secured room until help arrives to subdue the violent perpetrator. In many instances, it was understood that a full barricade too complex to deploy will not suffice. One that is simple to implement would be preferred as means for providing the teachers and students in a given setting with “some extra time” until the authorities appear on scene. Knowing how stress and panic levels sharply increase in such situations (despite numerous “practice drills”), it is critical that any such device be relatively simple to activate when needed.
Another main objective of providing additional security is to not make the respective classrooms appear too intimidating or “prison-like”. It is one thing to keep the children safe and secure. It is another to traumatize the children by teaching them in “safety box” environs protected with multiple electronic locks, frame engaging rods and/or other gadgets. For instance, it would not be enough to just provide teachers and every classroom with a steel board or crossbar for their main access door(s), as most classroom doors hinge to open outwardly rather than inwardly into the room per typical industrial building codes.
Nor is it a viable “option” to provide safety/security means that easily implement by rapidly installing into floor apertures/brackets adjacent a closed door. Such obstructions create significant tripping hazards as well as difficult complications for custodial cleaning
Ideally, devices are desired which are relatively easy to install . . . without having to physically alter, modify or rebuild every door frame/surround. Such devices could be mass-produced and rapidly retrofitted to most every door of a school or other industrial setting. Another main objective is to enable any such device with means for the authorities upon arrival to deactivate when “the situation” has been resolved (and the perpetrator(s) subdued).
The prior art contemplates numerous door-related devices none of which accomplish the goals and objectives of this invention. In chronological order, representative latch or latch-like devices include: the sliding door stop means of Silva U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,413; the concealed safety latch of Simms U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,541; the doorway security system of Sawchuk U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,309; the highly popular, well promoted floor-mounted doorstop of Winner Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,304; the centrifugal force-activated door safety mechanism of Haq U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,186; the gravity activated door safety device of Renaud U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,198; and the swinging door safety latch apparatus of Lind U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,011.